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We recommend further works to enjoy after Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony
Though Sibelius’s Sixth Symphony didn’t receive its first performance until 1923, the composer came up with much of its material while working on the Fifth. Sibelius described the Sixth as ‘very tranquil in character and outline’ and, later, like ‘pure, cold water’ in style. Both descriptions neatly sum up this calm, still, yet mesmerisingly mysterious masterpiece (Minnesota Orchestra/osmo Vänskä BIS BIS2006).
The long, drawnout melodic lines, gingerly treading lower strings and mournful woodwind of Leevi Madetoja’s haunting Second Symphony all remind one hugely of Sibelius’s Fifth – not entirely surprisingly, as the great man was the Finn’s former tutor. Premiered in 1918, the work also has an element of tragedy to it, as it was dedicated to Madetoja’s brother who had lost his life in the recent civil war (Iceland So/petri Sakari Chandos CHAN6626).
Though Sibelius’s near-contemporary Erkki Melartin gave his own Fifth of 1916 the subtitle ‘Sinfonia brevis’, it is in fact a full-length, full-blooded symphony. There are some distinctly Sibelian-sounding passages here, such as the sparsely scored ending to
the first movement as it tiptoes away into the dark distance. Elsewhere, however, we can hear the influences of other composers such as Mahler in a symphony that is blessed with a gorgeously Romantic second movement and a finely crafted fugue and chorale in the finale (Tampere PO/ Leonid Grin Ondine ODE9312T).
The third of Kurt Atterberg’s nine symphonies bears the nickname ‘Västkustbilder’ (West Coast Pictures). Over its three movements – ‘Summer haze’, ‘Storm’ and
‘Summer night’ – the Swede shows his mastery of orchestral scene-painting as he captures the landscape and mood of holidays taken in his home country in 1914 and ’16 (Gothenburg SO/ Neeme Järvi Chandos CHAN10894).
Finally, Granville Bantock was a big champion of Sibelius, who in turn dedicated his Third Symphony to the British composer. Bantock never quite reached his hero’s heights, but his Hebridean Symphony of 1913 does open with a magical depiction of the morning sea mist around the Scottish islands before a glorious sunrise bursts through (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vernon Handley Hyperion CDA66450).
Atterberg’s Västkustbilder displays his mastery of orchestral scene-painting